The old brick warehouse on the corner of East Washington and South 2^nd took on what the original builders would no doubt call “an unexpected glow” Saturday morning. As ladies bustled about inside the refurbished Winterset Community Church meeting room, sounds of their bright conversations blended with soft holiday music.

 

For the fourth annual ladies Christmas breakfast, fifteen round tables were adorned with ice blue cloths, as well as red and white. Crystal glasses sparkled near silver-edged family china, and candles added elegance to the room. Guests peered around center-pieces, sharing holiday stories and eagerly anticipating filling their fancy plates with food.

 

Near the back of the meeting place, town favorite Jo Agan along with her helpers, flooded the room with the delicious scents of their culinary stylings. A fluffy egg casserole accompanied by crisp bacon, sausage links, fruit salad, and fresh, hot pancakes stood proudly next to Jo’s famous sweet rolls.

 

As nearly 90 ladies enjoyed the tasty morning meal, Kevin and Anna Kiburz set the room laughing with their comical modernization of the classic Christmas story. A wild ride to the hospital at the first signs of labor pains landed the amusing couple in an imaginary snow bank. Set at Christmastime with their first child on the way, all alone with no place to go, Kevin reflected on Joseph and Mary’s similar situation some 2,000 years ago. When a tow-truck rescued the soon-to-be parents, the crowd congratulated the duo with appreciative applause. Expectant hostess Melissa Kiburz, now in her ninth month of pregnancy, took the stage, saying, “Ha-ha, you’re all laughing, but that’s going to be me!” (which of course was greeted with another round of laughter).

 

Following incredible a cappella carols from sisters Kris McDonald and Brenda Holt joined by their mother, Nicky Huntoon, guest speaker, mother of five, and Des Moines pastor’s wife, Lisa Hill, encouraged each woman in attendance to remember the reason for the Christmas season by sharing the joys and struggles she has experienced in her own life. All-in-all, a pleasant community event that gave local ladies a chance to enjoy a few hours of peace and relaxation in the midst of the busiest month of the year.

(Published in Winterset Madisonian 12-13-06)